Publication Date: Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Traffic-calming test ahead for Barron Park
Traffic-calming test ahead for Barron Park
(March 30, 2005) But one resident asks which should come first: speed tables or sidewalks?
by Tai Khandaker
As some Barron Park neighbors cheer the future installation of speed tables to slow traffic on their street, at least one resident is wondering if the plan isn't putting the cart before the horse.
Rather than asphalt humps and median islands, Maybell Avenue resident John Morrissey would like to see some sidewalks in the rural neighborhood.
The focus of the traffic-calming plan is Maybell Avenue, which begins at El Camino Real and runs parallel to Arastradero Road. One of the city's most heavily used school-transit corridors, it serves as a shortcut to Gunn High School, Terman Middle School and Juana Briones Elementary School.
Motorists drive too fast on the small residential street, residents said.
"It's become the Indianapolis (Motor) Speedway," said Paula Starr, a 36-year-resident of Maybell. "It used to be that my kids could play on the street. It's an accident waiting to happen. Between 7:30 and 8:15 a.m. we can't get out of the driveway."
The Barron Park neighborhood is unique in that there are no sidewalks or designated off-road areas for pedestrians. On portions of the street, there is gravel, and at other locations, spaces for parking. Bicyclists and walkers share the edge of the road.
In response to the dangers, members of the Palo Alto Bicycle Advisory Committee, the Barron Park Association and the PTA gathered to propose improvements along Maybell and Donald Drive. Earlier this month, the city's Planning and Transportation Commission unanimously approved an eight-month test, which called for installation of a speed table on Donald between Maybell and Coulombe Drive, four speed tables on Maybell between El Camino Real and Donald, median islands at two key intersections on Maybell as well as signage designating the street as a bike boulevard.
"I think this will be effective," said Gayle Likens, transportation projects manager for the city. "We're trying to give bicyclists precedence over motorists. The primary objective is to create a safer environment for bicyclists and to promote bicycling in that corridor."
According to city statistics, 85 percent of motorists drive at a speed of at least 30.5 mph on Maybell. But given that the plan is expected to reduce speed by only 5 to 10 mph, is such a modest reduction worth a $60,000 price tag?
Paul Goldstein, chair of the bicycle committee, thinks so.
"As a bicyclist I'd much rather be biking on the street where traffic is going 20 to 25 mph than 30 to 35 mph. There's a huge difference, both in the way you feel and the accident statistics. The chances of fatalities are way down if the traffic is going less than 25 mph."
But Morrissey thinks a different approach to safety is in order.
"I have nothing against speed bumps," he said, "but it seems like a big expense, and the more important thing is to get people out of the street."
Morrissey believes that sidewalks are a more effective solution and fears that the new installation is a stopgap measure that city officials may consider as a permanent solution rather than a first step. "This will prolong the situation of not bringing the street up to safety standards," he said.
Barron Park was annexed to Palo Alto in 1975, and does not have the same width standards as most other streets in Palo Alto. The city is looking into installing sidewalks, Likens said, but the process of creating them is difficult -- and expensive. Still, the city is planning to hold some meetings with the neighborhood this year, she added.
The demand for sidewalks is a relatively new development, according to Goldstein.
"When Barron Park became part of Palo Alto, the residents liked the rural atmosphere of the road, and one of the conditions of incorporation was they wouldn't want the city to put in sidewalks. Now (30) years later, people are saying, 'The city is ignoring us, and we're being treated like second-class citizens.'
"Nobody is saying they shouldn't get sidewalks," Goldstein added. "That's just not what this project is about."
Residents like Starr are just happy to see progress of any sort.
"We've been promised sidewalks for years, but they've never done anything about it," she said.
Maybe that's another reason why she's gung-ho about the speed tables: "My husband and I are so pleased that someone is actually doing something."
Editorial intern Tai Khandaker can be reached at tkhandaker@paweekly.com.
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